Beachkeepers patrolling the Broken Group Islands throughout the summer months maintain camping areas, provide information and interpretation services, check permits, and assist Parks Canada staff in a variety of ways.

Camping in the High Season

The peak visitation period for the Broken Group Islands is from mid-July through August. Campers arriving in this period can expect to share camping areas with many other campers. To avoid the crowds of peak season try camping in May through early July, or in September.

Camping regulations

Camping in this unit of the national park reserve must be within designated camping areas on Hand, Turret, Gibraltar, Willis, Dodd, Clarke and Gilbert Islands. Check your chart for their exact locations.

Camp in designated areas and sites only.

Maximum stay in the Broken Group Islands is 14 days.

Maximum stay at each camping area is 4 nights.

Maximum group size is 12. Groups larger than 12 people must split into smaller groups and occupy designated campsites on different islands.

Dogs are prohibited. Pets disturb wildlife, interfere with other visitors' enjoyment of the area and can introduce disease to island wildlife.

Park wardens enforce camping regulation: violators will be evicted.

Camping Fees

Fees for camping in the Broken Group Islands apply from May 1 to September 30.

Passes can also be purchased over the phone by calling Parks Canada at 250-726-3500, Monday-Friday, 8am to 4pm. In this case, a permit will be sent by email. To ensure you receive your permit on time for your trip, please call at least one week before your departure date.

Contact the national park reserve for up to date fees schedules prior to your departure. Fees may change at any time.

Consider the needs of other campers

Reduce noise, this is a wilderness setting. Refrain from using generators, stereos or air compressors.

Leave space between you and your neighbour.

Cook away from neighbouring tents.

Neither private nor guided groups may reserve campsites.

Your impacts on the environment

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve staff strive to manage activities within the national park reserve to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the area. Your appropriate, respectful behaviour will not only lead to a safe and rewarding experience but will also contribute to a healthy, functioning ecosystem. Parks Canada, First Nations and visitors' collective actions will ultimately ensure that future generations can appreciate and enjoy this special place. When you leave a camping area, ensure the area is in at least as pristine a condition as when you found it.

Tips:

Leave all vegetation as you find it. A rare lichen, the seaside centipede lichen, has been found in the Broken Group Islands. Breaking lower branches from trees could have a devastating impact on the species.

Store food and garbage securely, either inside kayak hatches or in rodent and crow-proof containers. You are living with wildlife in the islands

Pack out all garbage. There is no garbage pick-up in the Broken Group Islands.

Use solar composting outhouses for bodily waste only. They are not compost piles for food scraps.

Do not dig trenches around tents.

Use a camp stove rather than a fire for cooking.

Keep fires to a minimum, always below high tideline (never in the forest). Do not burn wood any thicker than your wrist and ensure the fire has burned out completely before you leave the area.

Never abandon a fire: smouldering fires have ignited, burning the ancient rainforest in the islands.

Assess the area for dangerous trees before setting up camp

Campground Hardening and Rehabilitation

Parks Canada staff perform restoration work to protect exposed shell middens, bare roots and mineral soils on the campground islands. Please respect any fencing or signage you may encounter.